Red and Green
by NeuroticNerd
Summary: Contains drunken Harry, inappropriate Christmas decorations, innuendo, kissing and a staff party with way too much liquor in the punch, so beware of this untimely Christmas story with an unexpected bit of holiday cheer to go along!


**Author's Note: **Yes. It is a Christmas fic in September. What of it? No, but it needed to be posted, I could feel that it needed to be posted. And Christmas cheer is good, right, no matter the season?

Hope you like it! Merry Christmas!

Red and green

Harry squinted up at the massive Christmas tree and then turned to Neville. "Does that look like an angel to you?"

Neville turned his eyes up to the top of the Christmas tree as well. "Um..."

"Doesn't it look like... What the fuck _is_ that?" the ends of Harry's mouth were starting to turn up.

Neville gave a knowing gasp. "Oh no. I knew we shouldn't have made the sixth years decorate it."

"So it is what I think it is?" Harry said and let out a repressed grunt of a laugh.

Neville smiled and then shook his head. "Yeah. Come on, let's get it down before anyone else sees it."

"Accio-" Harry began and then interrupted himself. "Neville, I can't."

Neville looked at him blankly for a few seconds and then made a grimace, trying to keep from laughing. "No. I am _not_ gonna do it."

Harry raised his wand again and accioed the thing that definitely wasn't an angel.

Harry doubled in laughter and jumped aside when the decoration came flying down, hitting the floor with a fleshy smack.

"Oh God", Harry got out between gasping laughter. "God, did you hear that?"

"Is decorating really this hilarious, Potter?" that familiar, silky voice said.

Harry looked up at the new arrival, teary eyed, and tried to keep a straight face. He really did try, but when Snape's eyes trailed down to the pink, too-big, fake penis lying on the floor, Harry just couldn't help himself.

"Sorry!" Harry gasped and looked over at Neville's strained face. "It's not ours."

Neville let out a giggle and Snape turned to glare at him. "Trust Gryffindors to be immature enough to laugh at..." he stopped and then bit out, "at that."

"Stop ruining the fun, Snape", Harry said, his laughter finally dying out.

Snape made a disapproving face and gestured to the thing on the floor. "Just get rid of it, can you manage that?"

And then he stalked out of the Great Hall, leaving Harry with a small grin.

"Jeez, does he have to..." Neville began.

"Treat us like we're still in school? Yes, apparently the professor thing hasn't gotten through that thick, greasy head of his", Harry said and earned a laugh from Neville.

He picked the thing up carefully between the tips of his fingers and eyed it.

"We should have known this was going to happen." The other professors had warned them about leaving the kids in charge of _anything_, but of course Harry and Neville hadn't listened. Because they were the new and cool teachers, and the students wouldn't dare to pull any pranks on them.

Well. Proved how much Harry and Neville knew.

And they had been teachers for three years now, so maybe the thrill had worn off? Maybe they were just like McGonagall and Binns and Flitwick and Firenze and Snape. Well... Firenze was always cool and mysterious, now even more with that "battle scar" on his stomach. And Snape was... Well, Snape was Snape. He would never be just an ordinary teacher, he was too... Too... Too scary. Yeah, that's what he was.

"Do you think I should be stricter?" Harry asked as he waved his wand and the big strands of glitter levitated into place.

"What? With the kids?" Neville asked and Harry gave a nod. "Nah. You're great with them."

"Thanks, Nev. You too."

Neville looked doubtful. "Well, I... I think _I _could be more... Disciplinary."

Harry let his eyes wander over the hall, now finished, with decorations in white and red. "Maybe. But we don't have to worry about that now. We finally have some time off!"

They grinned at each other and Harry put his arm around Neville.

"It's gonna be a good Christmas."

-#-#-#-

"No, not like that", Harry said softly and put a hand on the girl's wrist. "The first thing you have to learn when you duel is to stand properly. Like this", Harry continued and kept his legs spread wide apart and his wand in a steady grip, levelled with his face.

"Thanks", she mumbled, a blush spreading slowly on her freckled face.

Harry gave her a kind smile and then raised his voice so that the rest of the class heard him. "Hey! Hey, guys!"

They silenced and looked at Harry, who spoke again, with a small smile. "Since it's Christmas tomorrow, and I'm super nice, I'm gonna let you go early."

The seventh years cheered, and almost ran out through the door, while Harry started cleaning their mess up. When they were all gone, he slumped against the desk and sighed.

"Jeez", he said, too loud for the now empty classroom.

The first thing he was going to do was sleep. Sleep for hours and hours and... No, right, he had to go to the staff party, but after that he was going to sleep and sleep and preferably not wake up until Christmas was over.

-#-#-#-

Harry let himself get pulled into the crowded room by a nervous and excited (and maybe slightly drunk?) Neville.

The room was surprisingly lively for a staff party (or maybe it wasn't, how would Harry know?), and several merry welcomes were shouted across the room as they both made their way to the other side of the room.

There was bustling activity everywhere, teachers standing together in small groups and talking and laughing. Some Christmas carol that Harry didn't recognise was playing loudly in the background, and someone Harry and Neville walked past was humming along with the tune.

Harry saw McGonagall and Snape through the crowd and nudged Neville with his elbow.

"Do you wanna go over and say hi?" Harry asked and Neville looked up for a second and then when he recognised Snape, he shook his head.

"Neville, come on. You're not still afraid of him, are you?" Harry said with a small smile, glancing over at Snape who was now looking directly at them, his usual sneer in place.

"No, I'm not afraid of him", Neville mumbled, sounding slightly offended. "That doesn't mean I want to talk to him."

"Sure", Harry said, waving when McGonagall caught sight of them, after Snape said something to her.

"I mean, sure, I can talk to him when I'm working, I just-"

"I believe you, Nev", Harry said and took his eyes off the other two teachers. "Now, let's not talk about work, 'kay?"

"Oh, sure. Sorry. Punch?" Neville asked and held out a glass full of some red, fruity smelling liquid.

"Sure", Harry nodded and grinned, swallowing the drink in one sweep.

In retrospect, a big mistake. Big, big mistake.

"Another one?"

And of course he had another one. And another one. And... Yeah, another one. And that amount of punch filled with alcohol meant a Harry filled with a lot of alcohol. Which (for some reason) meant a Harry that was caught talking to Snape. A very sober and pissed off Snape, who really didn't want to be caught talking to Harry.

Neville had disappeared to greet his girlfriend who was coming home from a holiday in Italy. Probably off snogging somewhere, Harry thought bitterly.

And then the drunk Harry had been passed around like some old toy that nobody wanted as the guests at the party started disappearing off home.

Harry should have known better. He really didn't handle alcohol well.

"I can see that", Snape grumbled and Harry realised, with a silly grin, that he'd said it out loud.

"Oops", Harry said and laughed and Snape sneered. "Hey, grumpy, lighten up!"

Who had said that last bit? Was it Harry? Because he really couldn't remember saying that. Hm. Probably not a good sign.

By the way Snape glared at him, at least he seemed certain that it was Harry that had said it.

"Potter, wouldn't it be time for you to go to your rooms soon?" he said, and Harry had a feeling that he was really restraining himself.

"You're absolutely right!" Harry exclaimed and stood up too fast only to fall down in his chair again.

"Severus?" McGonagall asked. Where had she come from, Harry thought confusedly. "You aren't going to let him get home by himself are you?"

Harry looked at Snape and frowned. Why couldn't Snape get home by himself? Snape looked perfectly able to get home by himself.

"Well what do you suggest I do then?" Snape asked sourly.

McGonagall raised her eyebrows and looked over her half-moon glasses.

"Fine, I'll follow him to the Gryffindor tower, then", Snape grumbled out and Harry laughed, finally realising they were talking about _Harry _not being fit to walk back to his rooms by himself.

Both the other teachers glared at him for a second before concentrating on their conversation.

"You owe me, Minerva", Snape said and tugged on Harry's sleeve to get him to stand up. "You really owe me."

Harry stumbled to his feet and Snape pulled him along with one last glare at McGonagall. He really knew how to look pissed off, that Severus Snape. Maybe Harry should learn that? That would certainly keep his students in place.

"Are face spasms a side effect of the punch too?" Snape grumbled out and Harry stopped his attempts at forming his face into a nice glare.

"I was trying to look like you", Harry said and smiled and Snape shook his head and gave an irritated sigh. "Hey, slow down!"

Harry's feet were stumbling over each other and walking out of pace and not landing where they were supposed to (just being plain uncooperative) and it wasn't getting better with Snape's fast pace.

"I don't want to spend my evening dragging you to your bed!" Snape snapped, but still slowed down, his grip on Harry's arm loosening as well.

"What were you planning on doing then?" Harry asked, as he stumbled along the empty hallway.

"I can think of a few thinks I'd prefer", Snape said and Harry's grin grew wider.

"Ooo, mysterious", he said and laughed at Snape's sour expression.

"How can the Gryffindor tower be so far away?" Snape mumbled, quickening his pace again.

"Maybe the floors move too?" Harry gasped. "Just like the stairs."

"You're an idiot."

"Well..." Harry said, swaying slightly. "That wasn't a nice thing to say."

"Sometimes the truth isn't nice, Potter."

"The truth?" Harry asked, the insult dawning on him. "Well! Well! You're a... You're a..."

Harry pushed away from Snape, and searched for a word to describe him.

"You're a greasy haired, ugly, big-nosed, bitter, um..." Harry looked down at the floor, searching for words. "Have I said greasy haired?"

"Yes", Snape said and got Harry moving again.

"Oh. Have I said big-nosed?"

"Yes, you've said big-nosed. And greasy haired. Any other body parts that you would like to comment on?"

Harry looked Snape over. "Yes. You're very pale, too."

Snape suddenly stopped walking.

"I'm sorry", Harry exclaimed and Snape looked exasperated.

"We're here, Potter", he said and Harry looked over at the big door. He smiled when he realised there was a big, warm bed waiting for him on the other side of it.

"Are you going to go in or...?"

"You're actually going to watch me go in?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Well, if you would wander off after I left, Minerva would have my head", Snape said and stepped back to let Harry open the door. "So say the password."

Password? Right. What was his password, again?

Harry must have thought so hard that he forgot to stand up, because he was suddenly falling, before Snape caught him. Harry wanted to shout out something cheesy like, 'My saviour!', but then he changed his mind.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Snape asked, not sounding too angry now. So that was he trick to getting people to like you? Almost getting hurt?

"No, I'm fine", Harry said, not feeling so drunk anymore. No, there it was, feeling drunk again.

Harry pulled himself up from his half fall (with a laugh that sounded way too much like a giggle), his hands clinging to Snape's robes.

"God, I'm _so _waisted!" Harry said, and clung to Snape, his legs not seeming to work.

"Sharp observation", Snape mumbled.

Right, password. Hm... It was... It was something you ate, Harry remembered.

"Hey, what red fruits are there?" he asked and Snape stared at him. "My password is a red fruit, but I can't remember what..."

"Apple?"

The door stayed silent and shut.

"No, no, it was a berry! Strawberry!" Harry almost shouted and the door gave a soft 'click' and swung open slowly.

Harry smiled up at Snape, who looked in through the door.

Harry wondered if he was curious at all or if he just wanted to get out of here. Harry would be curious if he was given a chance to see Snape's rooms. Woah. Where had that come from?

Agh, who was Harry kidding? Snape was hot, despite the nose and the hair and the paleness. Harry would kill to see his rooms. He wondered where Snape slept.

"Potter? Did you hear what I said?" Snape said, still not sounding angry.

Harry was still clinging to him, maybe that had something to do with it? No, wishful thinking.

"Nope", Harry said and Snape shook his head again.

"Do you think you can handle it from here?"

It was polite of him to ask. Harry really had thought that he'd just leave him outside where he could have been like... Eaten by wolves or something.

"Sure, I can..." Harry said, attempted to stand by his own and then fell back against Snape again.

"No, you can't", Snape stated and Harry nodded. Apparently he couldn't.

Snape's arm came around his waist to support him, and they staggered inside together.

Harry was too drunk to bother about the mess, but in the back of his mind he suspected that he would probably have cared if he was sober.

Snape stood and hesitated in the living room and then pulled Harry with him into the bedroom.

Ha. That was a welcome sentence.

"Jeez", Harry mumbled and Snape looked down at him.

"What?"

"I'm so fricking horny", Harry said and Snape's body next to him stiffened. "No, not like that! I just wanted to..."

Oh, who the fuck cared what Harry wanted to? He was just talking gibberish. Drunk gibberish.

"Oh, fuck it, Snape. I-" he began, but Snape interrupted him.

"Just be quiet. You're drunk", he said and placed Harry on the bed, and Harry leaned back against the soft pillows.

"Yes, I am. Very", Harry grinned sleepily.

Snape ignored him and looked around for something while Harry snuggled into the bed.

"Hey, Snape?"

Snape seemed to have found what he was looking for (a blanket, that hideous one he'd gotten from Mrs Weasley), and he turned around with a strained, patient look. "Yes?"

"How come I can't go off to meet someone who's coming home from Italy?" Harry mumbled, his eyelids slowly drifting shut.

"What?" Snape asked, pulling the blanket over Harry.

"Neville has a girlfriend", Harry said and Snape didn't seem to understand. "Neville is off snogging his girlfriend who just came home from Italy."

"Well..." Snape said and sat down in the arm chair by Harry's bed, after pushing some of Harry's dirty laundry off of it.

"Why can't I go off to snog someone?" Harry asked, feeling pathetic.

Snape 'hm'ed and then said, quietly, "I'm sure you could get a girlfriend."

"Ha!" Harry laughed, close to drifting off to sleep. "I'm sure I could, but unless she has a dick I wouldn't want to."

Harry really didn't know what he was saying anymore. Gibberish.

Snape didn't laugh. Snape was very sober and very serious.

"Well..." he said. "I didn't know you preferred men."

Harry opened his eyes again and looked up at Snape, who was leaning in close now.

"I'm surprised. You usually know everything", Harry mumbled.

Snape smiled. Not even a smirk, a real smile. Harry was starting to see things too.

"You really didn't know I fancied guys?" Harry asked and Snape shook his head, a short flick.

"No. "

"You never suspected?"

"No", he said and looked down at his hands.

Harry sighed. "Okay."

Snape stood up, suddenly it seemed to Harry, but maybe it wasn't.

"I'm gonna leave now", Snape said, pulling the blanket up even further on Harry's chest.

"Okay", Harry said and then reached his hand out. "Hey, by the way, I probably won't remember this tomorrow, so it would be nice for you not to mention it."

Snape looked down at him and hesitated for a second before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Harry's lips. "Since you won't remember", he mumbled.

-#-#-#-

"Fuck!" Harry groaned, bringing his hands up to his head. "_Fuck!"_

His head was killing him. Not literally (he hoped) but it sure felt like it. With all the pounding and the throbbing and the stab of pain every time he moved. He pushed the blanket away from him (when had he pulled that out?) and then he stumbled over to the bathroom.

"Oh, no."

He stared at himself in the mirror. Stared at the dark rings under his eyes, the hair that stood up, the tired drooping eyelids, the yellow complexion. He had to have drunk a lot yesterday.

He splashed some water in his face and stared at his reflection and searched in his memory for anything about last night. He vaguely remembered the punch (which he could still taste in his mouth), Neville's smiling face and... And kissing.

"No", Harry breathed. Who had he kissed? It was all gone, not even a little smidgeon of a memory left, just that feeling of warm lips against his. No name, no face. No.

What if it was someone he knew? It had to have been someone he knew. Even worse, it was a staff party, it had to have been a member of the staff.

"Shit!" Harry shouted at himself and then hissed at the sharp stab of pain in his head.

It was all he could think of all day. He slept all through breakfast, both because he really needed to sleep and because he really didn't want to meet with some eager kisser.

He lay in bed and mulled it over and over. What if it was Neville? Neville was the only one he could remember of the entire night. There was a good possibility the mystery kisser was him.

But Neville was definitely straight. He had a girlfriend. Yes. Yes, that came back to him. He had gone off to see his girlfriend. So who had he talked to when Neville had disappeared?

It circled through his brain as he walked down to dinner as well. When he ate Christmas dinner his eyes drifted to the faces of his coworkers. He studied McGonagall's face and how she behaved. It couldn't have been her. It couldn't have been. At least he really hoped it wasn't her.

No, it hadn't been a woman. Phew.

And it couldn't have been Firenze. Harry would have remembered that smell of horse that always surrounded him. Harry let his eyes drift to Flitwick, who was sitting next to Harry on top of a bunch of books. He was pretty sure he would remember that too.

And it definitely wasn't Binns. The whole ghost thing would... Yeah, it had been human lips.

Some of the teachers were missing and Harry had probably forgotten someone, because the ones who were present here had not been snogging him last night.

And where was Neville? Harry stood up and excused himself and hurried off to Neville's rooms, close to the greenhouses.

Neville would know. He had to at least know who he had left Harry with.

Harry impatiently knocked on the door. No answer.

"Hello?" Harry shouted and banged again.

There was a shuffle, a giggle (which he half hoped wasn't Neville's before the other option dawned on him), and then Neville opened the door.

"Hey, Harry. What..." he looked back over his shoulder and then stepped out and shut the door behind him. "What's up?"

"Is that Hannah?" Harry asked and Neville blushed and nodded. Yep, it was the girlfriend. "Oh, well... I wanted to ask you about last night."

"Mhm. Yeah, well, you were pretty wasted."

"And you left me there? Jeez, Nev", Harry grumbled and gave Neville a not-too-hard shove.

"Sorry", Neville said nervously, and actually sounded sorry. "But... Hannah was coming and..."

"Yeah, yeah." He was sure Hannah had come. Ha. "What I wanted to know was who you left me with", Harry said and turned the annoyance down a notch.

"Why? Did something happen?" Neville asked and Harry thought about telling him about the kiss.

"Nah. No, I just wanted to, you know... Make sure I didn't do anything stupid. And say thank you and all that", he said and pulled a hand through his hair. Nervous habit.

"Oh. All right", he interrupted himself when the door opened slightly and Hannah's head popped out.

"Oh, hey, Harry", she said and then turned to Neville who was half in the door already.

"Right. It was Binns, I think", he said before he was pulled in and the door slammed shut.

Binns. All right. Then he had somewhere to start.

-#-#-#-

"Potter", McGonagall said as she opened the door.

"Hello", Harry said, overly professional. He was too tired to care about social stuff, after running around around the whole castle, talking to teachers who had shuffled him around like an old toy. That sentence sounded familiar...

"Did you need anything?" she asked, and Harry realised that he had been standing lost in thought for longer than was acceptable and normal.

"Um, yes. I was wondering who you left me with?" Harry said and she frowned.

"When?"

"Oh, right. Um, last night. I'm sorry but I'd had a little too much to drink and I just wanted to know that I didn't behave too-"

"Inappropriately?" she asked and her lips were a thin line.

"Yeah", Harry said and he had to look down. She still scared the shit out of him.

"I left you with Severus", she said and pulled her robe closer around her.

Harry coughed. What? It couldn't have been Snape, he thought, but at the same time, when he heard the name he knew it had been Snape. He remembered that awkward walk to his rooms and the awkward conversation and the awkward kiss that hadn't been awkward at all, just wonderful. Crap.

"Harry? Did something happen?" she asked worriedly. Harry must have let his shock (or whatever it was) show on his face. "Severus promised me he would lead you to your quarters. If he didn't I-"

"No, no, he did", Harry said and he knew he must be as pale as Professor Binns. "Thank you."

Harry left her standing in the doorway, walking away quietly.

"It can't have been Snape."

"It really can't have been Snape."

"It really, really can't have been Snape."

No matter how many times he told himself that, he knew he was wrong. Snape had kissed him. Snape had fucking kissed him! When he was drunk! That was close to taking advantage of him! But Snape hadn't taken advantage of him. He could have. He could have had sex with him and Harry wouldn't have remembered. Probably wouldn't have remembered.

Harry hadn't even known that Snape was interested in him. He hadn't even known he was interested in men. God. It was quite a lot to take in.

"Did you say something, Potter?" Snape asked and Harry stopped his brooding and looked to the side up into Snape's face. Oh, no. He hadn't known where he was walking, even less that he had walked down into the dungeons and almost walked into Snape.

"What?" Harry asked stupidly.

"You were mumbling", Snape said, sneering, just as usual. Like nothing was different, like he hadn't spent last night kissing Harry and (oh, right) tucking him in.

"No, I wasn't", Harry blurted out, making Snape narrow his eyes.

"Yes, you were", Snape insisted and Harry pulled a hand through his hair (that nervous habit again).

"Maybe", he mumbled and Snape glared at him. "Um, I heard you took care of me last night."

Snape didn't show any sign that he knew what Harry was talking about.

"Well, maybe not took care of, but at least walked me to my rooms", Harry said. "I don't remember anything, but thanks. That was nice of you", Harry said and Snape nodded once.

"I wasn't... I wasn't too bothersome, was I?" Harry asked and Snape seemed to hesitate. "I know how I get when I've been drinking."

"No... I mean..."

Snape actually seemed nervous! The big scary bat was nervous!

"I said something, didn't I?" Harry asked, and now he wasn't nervous at all. This was just fun. Lying and watching Snape fidget was... A lot of fun, actually. "What was it?"

He walked closer and Snape backed away, maybe without noticing.

"Well, you... You just rambled. I didn't really hear what you said", Snape lied quietly and Harry put on a devastated face.

"I didn't like... Say anything offensive, then?" Harry asked and now Snape had backed up against the wall. Fun.

"No. No, you didn't", Snape said, his eyes narrowing when Harry couldn't help smiling.

"So I didn't like, beg for a kiss or anything?" Harry said with an amused grin.

"You said you wouldn't remember!" Snape hissed and Harry let out a laugh.

"Ha! Were you really just gonna pretend it didn't happen?" Harry said and backed away from him, pointing an accusing finger at Snape.

Snape buried his face in his hands. "_Yes. _Why not?"

"You weren't gonna tell me you took advantage of me?" Harry asked and crossed his arms.

"What?" Snape spluttered angrily, before he saw the grin on Harry's face.

"I'm sorry", Harry laughed. "I'm not angry or anything. I'm sure I was... inappropriate right back."

"You were", Snape said seriously. "You said you were... horny."

Aw. The hesitation before horny was just adorable.

"Mm, right, that."

That did make him blush. It really did.

"Look, it was embarrassing for both of us. If we can just forget it", Snape said and Harry's smile wavered.

"Sure", he said, before he could really think about it.

Snape gave a short nod. "All right then. Good night."

"Good night."

-#-#-#-

The next day was Christmas Eve and Harry was left all alone. He didn't feel like going down to the Great Hall for dinner and he didn't feel like going anywhere else either. Well, some small part of him wanted to go down to Snape and shag the living daylights out of him.

No. That would end badly. Snape was completely void of emotions so he shouldn't get involved with that. _But he had been so sweet when he'd tucked him in_, his inner self whined. No! Down boy!

But it was useless. Harry found himself hurrying through the empty, cold hallways down towards the dungeons. He almost ran into a big tree as he ran around a corner, but got there safely. Someone had put up a big green and red 'welcome!' sign on Snape's door, and Harry could have bet serious money it wasn't Snape. Probably not a Slytherin, either. It looked too cheery.

Harry tried to calm his breathing down as he knocked on the door.

Snape opened it inhumanly fast and didn't give Harry any time to plaster on an awesomely cool and relaxed look.

"Potter", Snape said and Harry nodded and gave a strained smile.

"Hey", he said and leaned against the doorframe. "So... What are you doing?"

Snape took a long time to answer. "Grading papers", he said and looked at Harry like he was crazy.

"Oh. Well. Having fun?"

Snape's mouth turned up in a small smile. "No. Not really."

Harry let out a breath. "Oh."

"Did you want anything?" he asked and Harry realised how weird it was for him to just appear like this. They had agreed to pretend like everything was normal, after all.

"I... Um, I wanted to borrow a... A... toothbrush."

What? A toothbrush! Why?

"A toothbrush", Snape repeated.

"Yeah, you know. Dental hygiene is important", Harry mumbled and then closed his eyes in embarrassment.

"I'm not sure I have an extra toothbrush lying around", Snape said slowly, like Harry was an idiot.

"Well. Mind looking? I really need an, er, toothbrush", Harry said and Snape stared at him some more.

"I suppose", he finally said and stepped aside to let Harry in.

His rooms were almost exactly like Harry's. At least the layout was the same. Snape had less furniture but more stuff, probably because he had been there longer. His living room, which was what you walked into first, was filled with books. There was an open fireplace, a sofa, and some chairs, and in the furthest corner there was a desk littered with papers and more books.

It was messier than Harry had expected.

"No. No toothbrush", Snape said and Harry turned around and looked up at him.

"Okay."

"Yes. Your dental hygiene will suffer", he said with a smirk.

"Hm", Harry said and then they were quiet.

"Was there anything else?" Snape asked and Harry shook his head.

"No", he said and looked around and did a small smacking noise with his tongue. "I see you don't have a Christmas tree."

"Sharp observation", Snape said and Harry smiled.

"Why not?" he asked and Snape let out an annoyed sigh.

"I didn't want a Christmas tree."

"Well, that is a good reason not to have a Christmas tree", Harry continued. "I don't have a Christmas tree either. They take up so much space and they leave those prickly things all over the place."

"You're almost worse when you're sober", Snape observed with an amused look on his face.

Harry laughed. It came out sounding slightly crazy.

"I'm very tired", Harry excused himself.

"Do you always feel the need to shout out things like that?" Snape asked and Harry gave a sort of nervous snort.

"Do you always feel the need to... to..." Harry stuttered.

"Strong comeback", he said and made his way back to his desk, putting papers in neat piles.

"Why do we always do this?" Harry asked and Snape looked up.

"What?" he said and Harry threw himself in the sofa. It was very comfy, again something surprising Harry. Or maybe it would have surprised him a few days ago.

"This. Fight", he said, leaning back against the pillows. "I'm really sick of this and I know you are too."

"How do you know that?" he asked, standing in front of the couch now.

"Yeah, because you probably really want to fight all the time?" Harry asked and Snape shrugged.

"What if I do?"

"If you did you wouldn't have kissed me", Harry said and Snape seemed embarrassed again.

"That has nothing to do with this", he said and Harry gave a disbelieving snort. "No. What if it was just... What if you were just available? What if... I don't know, the Christmas cheer came over me?"

Harry laughed at that.

"I don't think so."

Snape sat down next to him after a long moment of hesitation.

"Can't we just cut the crap? You like me", Harry stated. The nervousness was gone now.

"I don't", Snape said, like a stubborn child.

"Yeah, you do. I like you too", Harry said and Snape stopped his attempts at trying to talk back.

Harry carefully put his hand on Snape's leg and leaned over and kissed him. It was slow and warm and wonderful. Snape tasted like gingerbread.

Harry pulled back and said slowly, "Tell me you didn't like that."

Snape didn't answer, instead he kissed him back, and showed Harry that the first wonderfulness hadn't just been a fluke.

-#-#-#-

Harry woke up to snow. It was sort of weird that it was snowing. Inside. Below ground.

And then he looked over at Snape, who was smiling softly, his wand in the air. The snowflakes appeared from thin air and floated down slowly, landing on Harry's face and the surrounding sheets.

"Stop it. You're making me all wet", Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Good morning", Snape said as he lowered his wand.

"Good morning", Harry answered, sliding deeper into the warmth, closer to Snape's chest. "What time is it?"

Snape let his arm rest on Harry's stomach, his hand moving slowly up and down. "It's early."

"When do we have to get up?" Harry asked.

"We don't have to get up at all", Snape said, nuzzling into the crook of Harry's neck.

Harry smiled and remembered what day it was. "Merry Christmas", he said and tilted his head to get another taste at that gingerbread flavoured mouth.

"Merry Christmas", Snape said as they broke apart.

Harry smiled. It was. It was a very merry Christmas. A sore and tired and very merry Christmas.

-#-#-#-

_The following Christmas_

"You can't use red, that would be favouritism", Snape said and Harry continued to hum the chorus of "White Christmas", as he went on ignoring him.

"Hello? Are you listening to me?" Snape continued as Harry very pointedly _didn't_ listen to him and continued to flick his wand to make the red decorations appear.

"It's red. The colour of Christmas", Harry said and looked at his work. The Great Hall looked beautiful in reds and whites, with the artificial snow floating down over the tables.

"No, it's Gryffindor red", Snape complained, picking up a shiny ribbon and twisting it between his fingers with a disgusted expression.

"No, it's Christmas red", Harry said and turned to face him.

"Favouritism", Snape mumbled under his breath and Harry gave a snort.

"Oh, come _on_!" he said loudly, making the students closest to him turn their heads. Well, the younger ones did, the older had already gotten used to these fights in public. "It's not like I'm going around putting little statues of lions all over the place."

Snape's cheeks turned pink. "It was _one _snake."

Harry shrugged and caused the other professor to stalk closer.

"It was on Halloween."

"It was up for weeks before that", Harry said, not backing down like people usually did. "Plus, it was ugly as shit."

"It was not!" he argued, but he seemed to slump together in defeat.

"Yes it was, Sev. It was good that I-"

"Torched it in a fit?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

Harry glared and said quietly, for only them to hear, "You're lucky that's all I sat fire to."

Snape paled.

"Now, are we in agreement that red is an acceptable colour for Christmas?" Harry asked.

"Fine, but then green is too", he said and with a flick of his wand the hall was striped in red and green.

Harry blinked. "Hm."

"It looks good. Don't deny it", Snape said and Harry couldn't hold back a smile.

"Fine. I guess it does", he said and let himself get pulled into a soft kiss.

"Now, are we finished decorating?" he asked softly, against Harry's cheek.

"Mhm" Harry mumbled and closed his eyes to the now brightly coloured hall.

"Good, because I have a present for you", Snape said, and based on where his hand went next, Harry could guess what kind of a gift it was.

**Author's Note: **So yeah, Merry Christmas in advance everybody! Hope you liked it and please review! They're better than any christmas gift i could get (in September...)


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